BEWARE THE CREEPER #5

Cover shows notable diagonal creasing across the right-center of the image and a vertical crease near the spine, along with general surface wear and slight color rub at the top left corner. Spine appears mostly tight but with some minor stress visible near the top. Edges show light wear with no major chips; corners appear only slightly blunted. The book is in a protective sleeve which creates some glare, and the back cover and interior pages were not assessed.

Beware the Creeper debuted the manic, cackling vigilante created by Steve Ditko, who wrote and drew the character's introduction in Showcase #73 before launching a solo title. Ditko carried the series through its first four issues with his signature blend of off-kilter design and psychological unease, but departed before the book's end. Issue #5 was completed by other hands as the title wound down toward cancellation with issue #6, making it part of the transitional close of one of Ditko's last major DC creations before his return to independent and Marvel work.

The certified population is small and sales activity thin outside a narrow band of mid-to-high grades. FMV data holds steady at $70 across grades 8.5 through 9.2, with only a modest step up to $100 at 9.4, reflecting a book that trades in a tight range rather than showing the steep grade-to-price curves typical of higher-demand Silver Age issues. The near-total absence of sales at 9.6 and 9.8, despite copies existing on census, points to a market where top-grade examples rarely change hands rather than one commanding aggressive bidding.

Demand centers on Ditko completists and collectors assembling the full six-issue Creeper run, plus character collectors tracking the Creeper ahead of any renewed media attention. Raw copies in lower and mid grades move steadily but for modest sums, consistent with a lesser-key final issue rather than a foundational key. The meaningful premium in this title sits at the top of the census, where scarcity of 9.6 and 9.8 slabs, rather than active bidding history, sets the price ceiling.